New Memories
by PhoenoFOXFIRE
Summary: Kagome wanted to start over and America seemed the perfect place to find herself. But now she's part of a murder investigation of a marine conducted by NCIS. Now she has to deal with the team. Great. That's what she gets for trying to help people.
1. Prologue

Note: This is my first story. I don't expect everyone to be nice (in fact it would be kind of boring) but cut me a little slack. Flames amuse me. You probably can't hurt my feelings. But I would like to know what you think. This idea has been in my head a while and I finally wrote it all down as a form of procrastination for studying. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Wish I did. Cause then Sesshomaru wouldn't be wearing a shirt a lot of the time. :)

* * *

Kagome was walking. She had done plenty of walking in the Sengoku Jidai with the Inu tachi. They trekked across Japan. All types of terrain were conquered by the small group and Kagome had learned to enjoy walking. While walking sometimes required acute concentration since she was a klutz, most times she was able to take in the scenery and savor it. In her time, the modern world, such wilderness was very rare, and even in the places where she could find it, there was a certain quality that was lacking. The wild didn't seem so wild. Even where mankind rarely ventured, there was a domesticated air. No longer were there stretches of forest that were impenetrable and mysterious. Mankind didn't like many mysteries and so the wonder of nature became known to all.

Even so, Kagome still took pleasure in walking. She no longer walked for 15 hours a day and not through nature, but the simplicity and familiarity of walking brought her comfort. In the modern world, people no longer walked to their destinations. With technology readily available, the idea of walking to places became obsolete. It seemed that people were too busy to walk places and enjoy the scenery that came with a stroll. Kagome, however, continued with this outdated notion of walking places, if only so she could keep some tie to the past.

Nevertheless, for Kagome, walking through Washington, D.C. was an experience in and of itself. She had never before been to the capital of the United States, but was anxious to see all there was to see. America was such a powerhouse that seeing where it all started and was continuing was a look into the American mind-set. The city was beautiful and very modern.

Unlike her home nation of Japan, there were so many different kinds of people. She had grown to used to diversity in the Sengoku Jidai, but had once again become acclimated to the relatively homogenous population of Japan after a couple years back home. But being surrounded by diversity, while it was a bit of a culture shock, was refreshing.

It was as she was pondering this marveling concept of diversity and Washington, D.C. that she realized that she was really happy. After what had happened in the Sengoku Jidai, she never thought that she would be happy again. But being in a place that reminded her just a little bit of her old life, brought back a spark to her eye that her friends and family had thought was lost forever. Her life was not over. She had just stepped onto the path of her future and there were so many opportunities available to her that she had yet to explore.

With this new revelation fresh in her mind, her step gained a bit of a skip as her spirits lifted. She was Kagome! She had survived rampaging demons, undead incarnates, perverted monks and that bastard Naraku! She had her whole life in front of her, and she was going to face it head on! Nothing could stop her!

She sobered a bit when she remembered that she had left home without leaving a note to notifying anyone of where she was going, though she did tell them she would be in contact. She had needed to escape from all the memories that were at the shrine and needed some alone time to sort out her feelings. And she had. She found herself, as cliche as that sounded. But it was all for the better.

Even though she had resolved most of her issues, she didn't feel like going home. She was happy here. Washington was a place that held no previous memories and was a promising place to start her new life and create more memories. Plus, her English had definitely improved in the last 5 months! There were only a few words and conversations that she didn't understand.

She reached into her purse to pull out her pack of gum almost absentmindedly. As she did so, her fingers accidently brushed a piece of paper at the bottom of her bag. Curious, she stepped to the side of the sidewalk, out of the lane of fast-moving people and reached in to pull it out. The frown of confusion adorning her face quickly changed to one of understanding then to a mix of sadness and embarrassment.

Sesshomaru had sought her out just before she made the decision to leave Japan for America and given her his number in case of emergencies. According to him, he had made a promise with Inu Yasha that he would watch out for her when she finally arrived home. He was still a cold and aristocratic individual, but time (and Rin) had softened him somewhat. She had known that he was watching her, letting his aura just be felt on the edge of her awareness, but he had never approached her and she had honored his wishes. That, and she was too busy drowning in self-pity after she arrived back for the last time from the feudal era.

Sesshomaru had silently let her know that he was there to protect her while she re-adapted to the modern time. After a couple of months, she decided to find out what had become of demons. She was tired of sulking, though she couldn't completely pull herself out of her funk, and she wanted something to do.

When she went to the market or shopping she could sometimes feel demons, though never very strongly. If it wasn't for her increased awareness, courtesy of long hours of meditation with Miroku, she never would have felt them. Humans still thought them a fairy-tale and apparently they tried their hardest to perpetuate that myth. So, being a girl of the modern age, she googled them. Actually, she googled Sesshomaru. It took her a little while since she didn't know what last name he was using now, but she eventually found him.

Supposedly, he owned Taisho Corp., one of the biggest corporations in Japan that dealt with anything from medical technology to weapons. It all depended on what their clientele wanted. This really came as no surprise to Kagome since she figured he needed to be the best at whatever he sought. Plus, she didn't see him giving up being Lord of the West to become some non-entity. It only made sense that he chose to aim for business in such a capitalist society. She snorted. _It suited him in a weird way._

But when he approached her five days before her plane was set to leave for Washington, before she even told her family, gave her his card with his personal number on it and told her to let him know if she needed anything, she was completely dumbfounded. Where was the demon who had tried to kill her on sight just because she was human and traveling with his hated hanyou half-brother? At the time, she was so stunned that all she could do was nod. Now, she wished she had said something more eloquent, if only to let him now that she wasn't a complete idiot. She sighed. _At least I didn't just stare at him with my mouth open._ That would have definitely been the cause for some disparaging comment.

With another sigh, Kagome slipped his card back into her purse and continued on her way. _I really need to call everyone to let them know how I'm doing._ With a nod of her head at this silent resolution, she started to walk with a purpose toward the little apartment she was renting.

However, as she passed an alley on her left, she felt a strong surge of something she hadn't felt for a long time. A demonic aura. Even as her head whipped around to stare down the alley, her body was turning to venture forth into the slightly shady opening.

As she cautiously crept down the alley, clutching her purse to her side, she strained her ears to hear any sort of noise. After another surge of the demonic aura, she heard a cut-off shout, followed by a sort of gurgling toward to the end of the alley. Recognizing the sound of fluid leaking into lungs, she forewent caution and took off at a sprint down the alleyway.

As she got closer she could make out two forms, one on the ground hunched over on his knees while the other stood above him arm extended. The one on the ground was obviously a male, with short hair. He was wearing a blue-button down shirt with jeans while clutching his chest with one hand, using the other to prop himself up off the ground. The one standing above him was using the shadows to their advantage. All she could really make out was the gun, with some kind of cyclinder on the end. And the eyes. Eyes lacking any sort of color. The iris was white and as such blended in with the white of their eye. Only the black pupil was visible. Only a demon could have such eyes.

"Hey! What are you doing?!?" Kagome shouted as she continued running toward the two.

The demon did nothing but stare at her before he seemed to just disappear. Remembering Sesshomaru doing the same thing, she fell into a defensive stance and waited for the demon to stop using their speed and attack her. After about a minute when nothing happened, she dropped her defensive stance and walked cautiously over the man still lying on the ground.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. "Let me see it."

The man on the ground either didn't hear her or refused to show her because he stayed in the same position. As she approached she touched him on the shoulder to let him know that she was there. She had been around too many frightened people to just sneak up on an injured party. She didn't want him to strike out and injure himself more. Keeping her hand on his shoulder, she walked around him so she was in front of him. As she knelt down, she accidently knelt in some of the blood that had leaked from his wound onto the ground. The man finally looked up at her and his eyes displayed his terror and weary acceptance of his death. Her own eyes hardened in determination. She would not let this man die if she could help it. She had seen far worse wounds and she knew how to treat them. Her only worry was how much blood he had lost.

As he was looking up at her, he moved his hand away from the wound. She broke their gaze as she concentrated on his wound. A fresh gush of blood accompanied the release of pressure that his hand had been exerting and even as she watched it was slowing. Glancing back into his bright green eyes that reminded her so much of Shippo, she could see the light slowly fading from them even as he smiled at her. With his smile, a small trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, followed shortly after by a cough that sprayed blood across her face and chest.

She set her mouth mulishly and started to pump holy energy into the wound. She had no idea if it would work or not, but she had to try. The pinkish energy seemed to flow into the man as waves, trying to stave off the bleeding, internal and external, that was preventing him from breathing properly. Even as she forced more energy into him, she could tell that she was healing him too slowly. The bleeding started to slow and his eyes slipped shut as he died. The hand that had been holding his weight up with weakened, causing his weight to fall onto her. Even after he died, she continued to push energy into him as a last ditch attempt to revive him. After a couple more minutes of this, she finally stopped, cradling his body to her as she shut her eyes.

She had seen too much death to cry in the face of just one, but sadness and frustration still permeated her being. _She couldn't even save one man in the modern era_. There weren't extenuating circumstances and there was only one wound, but she still couldn't save him. Didn't even know his name. But he had still died. Pushing back her sadness, she channeled her frustration into lifting his body off of her. After she had stood up and set his body on the ground, she folded his hands across his stomach so he wasn't sprawled out, and at least had his dignity. After that task was completed, she started walking over to her purse to retrieve the cell phone she had bought after arriving in America so she could call the police. However, before she could take more than two steps she heard running down the alleyway. Turning around to see who had come, she was faced with two police officers pointing their guns toward her.

"Freeze!"

_I don't think I should make any sudden moves._ Kagome smiled to herself even as she raised her arms in the universal sign of peace.

"I am not armed." she said. "I was just trying to help."

_And that, _she thought, _is how I always manage to get into trouble. Here we go again._

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Again, let me know what you think! I don't think I'm a good writer, but I do like this idea! :)


	2. Chapter 1

Note: So this is me procrastinating. But everyone kept sending me reviews!!! Which made me really happy! So inspiration struck and here it is. Hope you like. :)

P.S. I had to an idiom thing because it seriously makes my day. Hope it makes you laugh!!! Oh. And please review! ^^

Disclaimer: No bueno. It's not mine.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Tony jumped and quickly closed the drawer to McGee's desk.

"Nothing." he said as he strolled the three feet back to his desk.

"That's cow. I'm not oblivious." Ziva responded with exasperation.

Tony paused for a minute to allow what she said to filter through his 'Ziva' translator. After a moment, he rolled his eyes and said "I think you mean bull."

"Why would I say bull? There are no livestock here. Wait. Did you put meat into McGee's desk? Why?" she stated as she stared at Tony suspiciously.

"Nevermind." Tony muttered.

"Then why were you in McGee's desk?" Ziva persisted. "Are you planning another prank? You know how well the last one worked out."

Tony rubbed his arm where the hair had yet to grow back. "I'm not playing with flypaper _or_ industrial glue again. And I'm not playing a prank on the probie! I was just...looking for something."

Ziva raised her eyebrow with a questioning look on her face. Tony rolled his eyes again, this time with a sigh as he explained.

"I was looking for his planner."

"Whose planner DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he walked between Ziva and Tony on the way to his desk. When he got around the desk, he turned to look at Tony with an expectant look on his face.

"Nobody's boss." Tony replied as he sat down in his chair while turning his computer on.

"Mmm." Gibbs grunted as he took a drink from his coffee. Before he could sit down, his phone rang.

"Gibbs." he responded curtly. "We'll be right there."

After he hung up, he glanced at his subordinates who were looking at him with questioning faces.

"Grab your coats." he declared as he threw the keys at Tony. As Tony fumbled with them, he turned to Ziva. "And where the hell is McGee?"

Retrieving his gun and badge from the second drawer of his desk and snapping them on, he started walking toward the elevators. Tony and Ziva rushed to do the same before he could actually get too far. Luckily, the elevator seemed to be taking a few minutes, so they weren't left behind.

As soon as the doors opened, all three stared at McGee who was still wearing his coat and had a flustered look on his face. His face became more flustered as he registered who was standing before him.

"Sorry boss, my sister had a mild emergency and I had to make a stop by her dorm. Do we have a case?" McGee said in a rush.

Ziva and Tony were forced to walk around McGee as Gibbs got in the elevator right next to him. Tony grinned as Gibbs slapped McGee up the back of his head.

"What have I told you about saying sorry?" Gibbs smirked.

* * *

Since Tony was the one driving, the NCIS officers didn't get to the crime scene until after Ducky had already arrived with Palmer. However, nobody felt the need to expel the contents of their stomach after they stepped out of the car (as they would if Gibbs or Ziva had driven), so it was okay.

When they arrived, they were forced to park on the street outside an alleyway where there was a swarm of police officers. However, the unusual amount of people around the mouth of the alley were preventing the team from seeing anything. Gibbs, not one to be meek, merely marched through the crowd of officers with nothing more than a barked "Move!" Not surprisingly, a path was instantly formed almost before the officers could think, reacting to the underlying authority in his voice.

After they cleared the officers, Gibbs turned to them to give out assignments.

"McGee, find out why there are so many police here. Ziva, talk to any passing witnesses and find out who made the call. Tony, crime scene." he barked out.

With that done, he turned away to find Ducky. He didn't need to linger to see if they did as they were told. If they didn't, he would know why. With that thought, he continued down the alleyway, already scowling at the fact that his coffee had gone cold. There were few things worse than cold coffee.

After a few minutes, he finally reached Ducky standing over the body of a dead marine who had his arms folded over his midsection. _That's odd._ Being laid in such a fashion meant that someone had either felt remorse or tampered with his crime scene. Neither one was a pleasant option. Ducky also seemed slightly puzzled by it.

"Ducky." he said simply.

"Hello Jethro. It is most peculiar how this young man was positioned. I can't seem to figure it out. But it could have been done by the woman who supposedly found him. The police found her standing over the body with blood all over her. I figured that you would want to talk to her, so she is still here." Ducky responded, never taking his eyes off the body.

As Palmer walked up with a stretcher that he brought from the truck which had been too big to fit into the alley, Ducky continued, "I'll take this poor boy's body back to the lab to figure out what happened to him. It seems pretty obvious that he died from a gunshot wound, but I'm not going to take any chances. I'll let you know when I have something."

With that said, Ducky helped Palmer load the body onto the stretcher and carried it back to the truck so he could get back to his lab to have a look.

After watching Ducky load the body into the truck, and finishing his cold coffee off, Gibbs turned back down the alley to where the police cars were. He needed to talk to this woman who had found his dead marine.

As Gibbs approached the police cars, he noticed that all the officers seemed to be looking in this direction, or more specifically, at the young woman who was seated sideways in a police car with her feet touching the ground. She seemed very composed for someone who had just found a dead body, but she was shivering slightly. Gibbs decided it must be a combination of shock and the cold spring breeze. She was wearing a white sundress with straps that were about an inch across. Her long black hair was loose and weaving in the wind, while her eyes were hidden behind her bangs. Her shoes were white sandals that did little to cover her actual feet and she had a large white bag which was sitting next to her on the ground.

However, the most striking thing about her was the amount of blood that adorned her form. There was blood on both arms which went up to about mid-forearm and on her knees. There was also a large smear of red going diagonal from her left shoulder to her right hip. He could also faintly detect what looked to be blood spray across her chest, neck and, according to his gut, her face as well. Apparently the police didn't let her clean up for fear that they would be washing away evidence.

As he got nearer, the woman turned her head to look at him and he noticed for the first time that she had bright blue eyes. He normally considered himself to be very good at reading people, but there were so many emotions in her eyes, that it was almost impossible to sort them all out. However, there was one emotion that he was familiar enough with that he could spot a mile away. Weariness. The look of someone who had seen a lot and didn't want to see anymore. How such a young woman could have such a look was mildly puzzling, especially since she didn't seem like the type to be involved in the military or have a troubled childhood, which was what typically put that look into someone's eye.

Even as he approached, the look in her eyes changed to one of annoyance.

"I have already explained to the police that I did not kill that man." she said slowly. It was as though she was over-enunciating every word.

Gibbs raised his eyebrow.

"What makes you think I am a police officer?" he asked.

"Why else would you be at a murder?" she retorted.

He held back a chuckle at her boldness before he responded.

"My name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, ma'am, and I am an agent of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service. That young man was a marine, so his murder is in my jurisdiction. I would like to ask you a couple of questions."

The woman's brows furrowed for a few seconds before they smoothed out as she shot a look of sorrow toward the alley.

"So the man that died was a marine? How sad to have died at home. I am sorry that he died." she said softly.

Gibbs watched her very closely since her attention was focused elsewhere, trying to get a sense of her.

"Did you know this man before today?" he asked instead of responding to her words.

The woman sighed before turning to look back at him.

"No. I had never seen him before." she said in an almost defeated voice.

"How did you come upon him?" he continued as he took note of what she said in his little pad. He glanced up when she paused.

"I heard a noise which sounded like a yell. So I went to see if someone needed help." she answered as she looked away from him.

_She's lying._ Gibbs knew to listen to his gut and it was telling him there was something off about her story. He continued anyway. He could question her more in detail later.

"When you arrived on the scene, what did you see and what happened?" he said.

She appeared to be thinking about her response, though he couldn't tell if she was trying to think up a lie or just trying to find the right words.

"There were two...people in the alley. One was on the ground and I could tell he was bleeding. The other was standing above him with a gun pointed at him. There was a cylinder on the end of the gun. Soon after I arrived, the other man ran off down the alleyway. I did not want to chase after someone with a gun, so I turned to help the man on the ground. I tried to help stop the bleeding, but there was just so much. It wasn't until after he had died that I thought to use my cell phone. I had recently gotten it, so I am not used to it. That is when the police came." she recited in a monotone voice.

Gibbs wrote down the pertinent facts while keeping an eye on the woman. She seemed to be unaffected by her story, except for clenching her hands in her skirt at the mention of the man dying.

Trying to distract her, he continued.

"Did you see the man with gun?"

Even as she shook her head, she responded, "Not clearly. There were too many shadows. The only thing I could make out was pale eyes. The eyes looked white. Maybe extremely pale blue eyes? I just thought it was creepy at the time. I could not even tell if they were male or female. I'm sorry." She shook her head again, this time as if in shame.

Gibbs sensed that he was probably not going to get anything else out of her.

"Would you come down to NCIS headquarters so that we can ask you some more questions? Right now would probably be best. We'll get you another change of clothes." he said almost as an afterthought.

She seemed to just realize that she was covered in blood, though to Gibbs' trained eyes, she didn't seem all that worried. Then she looked up with a strange light in her eyes.

"That would be good. I do not like the feel of blood on my skin." she said. Then she smiled. It stunned him for a second. Shadows that he didn't even notice in her eyes before seemed to disappear and her entire countenance changed. She no longer seemed like a little girl that needed protection, but a young woman who was confident in herself. Then Gibbs realized he had forgotten something.

"What is your name?"

If anything, her smile became brighter.

"Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."

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Reviewing is awesome and should be done often!!! :)

I probably won't be updating quite this often, and since I have two exams and I have to move, the earliest update probably won't happen until Wednesday. We'll see.


	3. Chapter 2

Note: Me procrastinating again. But between the wonderful reviews and the fact that I just received an enormous scholarship, I was in too good a mood to not post! Lol. I'm having a little too much fun with Ziva, but the story seems to demand it. And so the plot moves forward. Hope y'all enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: Me no own. :(

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Kagome was standing on the elevator very uncomfortably. The ride over to NCIS headquarters had been uneventful except for the slight discomfort of sitting with blood coating her. In the Sengoku Jidai she had always rushed to the nearest hot spring after a battle where was she was splattered with gore and blood. It was ironic that in the modern age, where there were plenty of showers, she wasn't able to get this blood off her for a while yet.

Now standing in the elevator with Agent "Call me Tony" DiNozzo and David, she was very aware that under the coat of blood, she was only wearing a simple white sundress. She felt dreadfully underdressed and small compared to these two who were wearing suits and nice clothes! She had dressed for the stroll she had decided to take, not for trying to save someone's life. She would have worn jeans or something more sturdy if she had known. She sighed. Blood would never wash out of her sundress! And it was her favorite too! She tugged woefully on the hem as she pondered the fate of her once white dress.

It was her luck that they really didn't have REAL showers at the headquarters where they had taken her. They wouldn't let her go home because they were afraid that she would forget some minute detail and not be a good witness. Or so they said. She was of the mind that they didn't want to flee or anything. So she was being forced to use the chemical shower in some person's lab. Not the best option, but at least she would be clean. At least she was used to little privacy. Not much room for modesty when you have to take care of your lady business behind the bush. She quietly snorted in amusement. Ahhhh. Those were the days.

As the elevator finally dinged to indicate they had reached their destination, Kagome finally tuned in to realize that Agent DiNozzo had been speaking to her the entire time. With a sheepish look on her face, she turned to glance up at him.

"I am sorry. I was lost in my thoughts. What were you saying?" she said. She added an embarrassed smile in the hopes that he wouldn't be offended.

The woman, Agent David, burst out laughing while Agent DiNozzo just glared at the laughing woman. Kagome just looked between the two with a chagrined look on her face. She didn't mean to make him look foolish.

"Oh that tracks me up!!" Agent David howled. Quite loudly.

His glare melted into a look of confusion then shifted to one of amusement. He proceeded to roll his eyes as he crossed arms across his chest. His stance changed from one of anger and aggression to that of smug satisfaction.

"You mean 'cracks you up.' Track is something that people run around." he chortled. _She made it all too easy._

"Yes, yes. That is what I mean. Your idioms are so confusing!" Agent David responded as she rolled her eyes. But her eyes never lost their amused glint and she continued to grin.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Kagome realized there was loud music blasting from a room a few steps from them. At first she thought it was merely instrumental with heavy bass. But she soon realized that there was someone singing. They had just blended into the bass since they were shrieking. She tilted her head in curiosity as she tried to determine what the woman was screaming about in the song. The words were too garbled by the woman's screeching and the music, so Kagome gave it up as a lost cause. She shrugged. Sometimes she couldn't understand people's taste in music. Especially one's that seemed as headache inducing as this kind. Maybe they had a hearing impairment?

The two agents continued bickering as they walked toward the open door as if the music was not playing. They just continued to raise their voices to be heard over it. Soon after they had passed through the open doorway, a black and red _thing_ streaked over to them and started bouncing up and down. It took Kagome a minute for her eyes to adjust and to figure out that the blob was a young woman with pig tails who was dressed with many adorning chains and in lots of black. She also had many tattoos. The one that caught her eye was that of a spiderweb on the back of her neck. She shivered. Anything to do with spiders reminded her uncomfortably of Naraku and the not so pleasant memories that were associated with that name. She tried not to hold it against the woman. She probably wasn't the epitome of all evil. Besides, maybe she just really liked spiders. Kagome, not wanting a repeat of the elevator "incident" decided to pay attention to what was happening. The woman seemed to be talking a mile a minute, too fast for her to make out more than a few words. Even so, she paid very close attention. This woman was quite amusing. She looked like a goth, but seemed very innocent in another sense. Maybe it was her aura. If there was anything that Kagome could recognize, it was purity. She turned her attention to Agent DiNozzo as he started to talk.

While he was speaking, Agent DiNozzo gestured toward where she was standing.

"Our guest, Ms. Higurashi needs to use the shower. As you can see she is covered in blood and wishes to wash it off as soon as possible. Not that I blame her." He shuddered. Then he seemed to zone out, looking around the lab muttering something about blood.

Agent David was the one who made the introductions.

"Ms. Higurashi, this is Abby Sciuto, our forensic scientist, the one who analyzes the blood and chemicals. The shower is in the next room. We'll try to find you a change of clothes as soon as possible." she said with a smile. Kagome smiled back in relief. She didn't know what she was going to do if she didn't have a change of clothes. Getting back into the bloody clothes was not an appealing option.

"That would be lovely. Thank you." Kagome responded with a bow.

When she stood up, she saw their incredulous looks. She smiled wryly. Old habits die hard.

"Pardon me. Bowing is commonplace and expected in my country."

Agent DiNozzo's mouth dropped open. If it fell any further, she would probably be able to see his tonsils. She brought her hand up to hide her smile. She figured he had been embarrassed enough today.

"You aren't from America?" he sputtered. The look in his eye was one of bewilderment. He sure was one to wear his heart on his sleeve. She finally registered what he asked.

She gave him a faintly puzzled look.

"Of course not. Do I not have an accent?" she inquired. She hadn't been in America that long! Most people commented on her accent and asked her where she was from. They always seemed curious, but never judgemental. Maybe her accent was fading?

"Not really. Well. Not enough to make me think you weren't from this country!" he exclaimed as he scratched the back of his head.

She answered with a smile and tilt of her head. _He is so funny. He kinda reminds me of Miroku._ She looked at him closely. _Well, without the groping anyway._

"Yes. I am originally from Japan. I came here around 5 months ago." she said, still smiling.

"Why did you come over here?" Agent David asked with a curious note in her voice.

" Like Japan Japan? Like from _The Last Samurai _with Tom Cruise? Man that movie was good! Tom Cruise being the emotionally traumatized soldier who goes over to Japan to..." Agent DiNozzo said in the background. Both women ignored him in favor of paying attention to Kagome. She gave him a mild look of puzzlement since she had no idea what he was talking about. But since the women didn't say anything, she shrugged it off and responded.

"I came to explore. I have grown up on tales of America and wanted to see it for myself." Kagome said. She wasn't technically lying. She had wanted to see America for a long time. Escaping her past just acted as a kind of catalyst. That's all. Really.

"Well!!! Instead of interrogating Kagome here, why don't we allow her to take a shower so she can get all that blood off her? I'm going to take your dress after you finish undressing so I can run some tests. Want to have the documents proving its that guy's blood!" the woman with the tattoos said. Abby. That was her name.

She smiled at the woman that was offering her salvation. At last! A shower! Her eyes went a little starry at the idea of taking a shower. However, as Abby led her toward the back room, where the shower supposedly was, Kagome could see from the corner of her eye that Agent David was herding Agent DiNozzo out of the lab. _Be aware of your surroundings._ Apparently there were other habits that also died hard.

As the woman named Abby rattled on about something called a "mass spectrometer" Kagome nodded every now and then to make it seem as if she was paying attention. She really had no idea what half this woman was saying meant. So she started to partake in her favorite pass-time. She went off into her little world. Her mind was far beyond the tiny room she was in. She didn't know what to tell these people. How could she say that a demon had killed their marine? Not only would they not believe her, they would probably lock her up. She sighed. Only one option left.

_Seems like I'm going to have to call Sesshomaru sooner than I thought._

* * *

_  
_

"She did not have an accent! How was I supposed to know?!?" came a yell that seemed loud enough to disturb the whole building.

Tony continued arguing with Ziva and gesticulating wildly even as he sat down at his desk. Ziva did not take her seat, but merely leaned against her desk with both her arms and legs crossed. She sighed in exasperation and interrupted his ranting.

"How did you not know? Even I could tell! It was as plain as the mouth on your face! Her accent is not heavy, but it is still noticeable!" she pointed out and rolled her eyes. _Really! The man is impossible!_

All Tony did in response was drop his head so it hit the desk. Then picked it up and did it again. Repeatedly. With his voice muffled from being shoved against the desk, he replied, "Ziva, it's 'nose on your face' not mouth. You seem to be in rare form today. Like Jessica Alba in _Dark Angel_! Man was she hot. And I'm just talking about general hotness either! The whole genetically pumped up kick-ass female is so _HOT!_"

Tony seemed to go into his own little world during this fantasy of his and continued rambling. Ziva merely rolled her eyes again.

"Nose, mouth, what's the difference? Besides, I look the same today as I did yesterday. My form has not changed." she interrupted as she finally stood up and moved behind her desk. Sitting down and rolling forward so she could access her computer. If he was going to be idiot then she was going to check her email.

Tony didn't seem to hear her and was muttering nonsense under his breath as he lay his head back on his desk. As Gibbs walked by with another cup of coffee, Tony raised his head a bit, looking ridiculous with a bright red spot on his forward indicating his earlier abuse of said spot and asked, "Boss, did you know that that hot babe was from Japan and not from America?"

"You didn't, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said in such a way promised a head slap for idiocy if he answered in the negative even as he turned on his computer to check his email. Which was all he really knew how to do. Even then he sometimes had problems.

Tony seemed to be at a loss for a few seconds before he recovered.

"Of course I did boss! Ziva here was just having some doubt so I wanted to prove that as highly trained investigators we caught every little detail!" he stated as he puffed out his chest a little bit. While doing so, his eyes slid shut so that he looked more manly.

After he had opened his eyes, Ziva shot him a glare that promised a very painful retribution causing Tony to gulp and Gibbs to smirk. Without taking his eyes off the computer monitor, Gibbs asked, "Where's McGee?"

Ziva stopped glaring at Tony to glance at the desk of the famous novelist and computer technician, only to realize that he indeed was not there. She glanced over to Tony only to see with the same puzzled expression.

"I do not know Gibbs. He was not here when we arrived from dropping off Ms. Higurashi down at Abby's lab." she answered in response to his earlier question.

"Probably another emergency with his sister. Or something like that. I bet he just slept in this morning." Tony postulated with a smirk.

"Actually, there really was an emergency this morning seeing as my sister's friend to get to the hospital and I was closest. I'll have you know I was dropping off some clothes down at Abby's lab. Taking a shower would not accomplish much if she had nothing to change into." McGee announced as he walked from the elevator. "I assumed that she was not carrying another change of clothes in her bag, so got her some sweats and a T-shirt from the storage area."

Tony's smirk fell from his face. "Whatever you say McGeek."

"As soon as she's out of the shower, I want her in the interrogation room." Gibbs said, causing the two men of the team to jump. They had forgotten he was there. So damn quiet all the time.

"Ziva, take her to interrogation. McGee, I want this dead marine, this Zack Lokens', information. All of it. See why someone would want to kill him. And I don't want to go into this interrogation blind. So get me all the information on one Kagome Higurashi as well. Now."

* * *

Kagome sighed. It seemed that that's all she was doing lately. Sighing. Especially today. She had tried to help someone and again had gotten herself into trouble. Which is what always seemed to happen. Well at least she hadn't been kidnapped. And she didn't have blood all over her anymore. Which was definitely a plus. The shower had been very refreshing and although the clothes she was wearing were a little big, they would do until she could get home to change. She glanced at the one named Abby. Abby. It was so hard to remember that they didn't add "-san" or any kind of suffix to their names. It was one of the hardest things to relearn when she came to America. She had just gotten to the point where she didn't revert to using suffixes. As she glanced at her again, Abby, _not Abby-san_, seemed to be almost salivating over her dress which was a little perturbing. It was covered with blood after all.

"Ano, Abby? Thank you for the change of clothes. I would not have liked to put on the dress again." she bowed.

Abby turned to her as if just noticing her presence in the lab. Apparently she wasn't the only one to get lost in their own little world!

"Oh! It wasn't me that had them! McGee brought them! Agent McGee. You'll meet him in a bit. Feel better? I hope so. Hope you don't mind but I'm going to take your dress. I don't think the blood will wash out anyway, so it shouldn't be too big a deal!" Abby chattered. Kagome noticed that she was reaching for a giant cup that had 'Caf-Pow' on the side. Maybe that was what had made her so hyper. She seemed like a person who had to be taken in small doses. A woman after her own heart.

Kagome had some problem following all of what she was saying since she was speaking relatively quickly and said so much, but she got the gist. So she smiled.

"It is no problem. You are right that I will not be using that dress again." she said as she stared mournfully at the dress. "Do you know what I am supposed to do now?"

"Gibbs wants to ask you some questions." Agent David said as she walked in the door. She strolled straight over to Abby to look at the dress the woman was holding in her arms. "That is quite a bit of blood." She glanced over to Kagome as if she had the answer to the question she was thinking. And she did.

"He fell on me after he died. His wound was bleeding pretty heavily." Kagome responded to her unspoken question. Agent David stared at her intensely. Kagome merely tilted her head in inquiry. _I don't think I said anything strange._

Agent David seemed to come to her senses as she shook her head. Then she gestured toward the doorway.

"I will take you to Gibbs. He is waiting for you." she said in a normal tone of voice.

As she walked by her, Kagome turned her head to look at the Israeli woman.

"Am I allowed to phone someone? I need to notify him that I am in some trouble." she stated as she continued walking toward the door.

From behind her, Kagome could hear Agent David walking after her. She turned her head to follow her with her eyes. Instinct. Too long in the feudal era had made it so that she wasn't comfortable turning her back to strangers. It was what had kept her alive in some deadly situations. Which were mostly situations she had managed to get herself in.

"Who would you need to call?" Agent David asked stoically.

Kagome smiled a secret smile. "Just an old friend of the family."

* * *

Reviews make me happy. :) So make me happy and leave me one please and thank you! Heart.


	4. Chapter 3

AN: So this definitely came out waaaay later than I wanted it to. Especially after I got all those awesome reviews! Life got in the way and for that I apologize. So I made it extra long. I really hope you like it! So parts are a little wacky, but it just reflects my personality and how I interpret the characters. Also, I think I need a beta. Looking for grammar mistakes is time-consuming especially after I just spent like 2 hours writing/typing. So if anyone is interested, just mention it!!! :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize! :)

* * *

"I don't look for trouble, it just always seems to find me!" she said in rapid Japanese. "You can't even blame me for this one! I stumbled on to the man by accident!"

She heard nothing over the phone. She could imagine him mentally sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. But never anything physical. That wouldn't be proper in one of such high station! Only an expressionless face would do. So everything was done mentally.

"Despite the fact that you did not seek out trouble, you seem to be able to sense it. And instead of staying away, like you should know to do by now, you manage to find yourself in the middle." he said in a dry tone of voice.

She sighed heavily into the phone. "Now you know that's not tru--" she started, unconsciously going into the lecture mode with her right hand on her hip, while her left held the phone to her ear. Her foot wasn't tapping yet, but it was a near thing.

"Unfortunately, I am too far away to be of much good." he interrupted as though she hadn't said anything. "However, I think I know someone close by. I will let you know in a few moments. May I reach you at this number?"

She heaved another sigh as her hand moved from her hip to brush her hair out of her eyes.

"Yes. Just ask for Special Agent Gibbs. He will be asking me questions."

With that said, she glanced sideways at said Agent, who seemed to be staring at her very intently. The others seemed to be standing further back, talking amongst themselves, only looking at her occasionally.

"And Sesshomaru? Please hurry. I do not know what to tell them." she whispered into the phone as she used her hand to cover her mouth. There was no way she was letting them hear her say that! Even if they didn't understand Japanese, she was sure they could tell that she was up to no good! That Gibbs man seemed like an expert on human behavior and like he could tell when little girls were about to doing something bad.

"Hn." was the brief reply she received through the receiver right before the dial tone began to echo in her ear.

Bringing the phone down from her ear slowly, she checked to make sure that he had really hung up before handing the phone back to Agent Gibbs. He had allowed her to use the phone at his desk since the international call would be billed to the agency instead of a personal account.

She turned to Gibbs and performed a perfect bow.

"Thank you very much for allowing me to phone my friend. I believe that he will be calling soon with information for me. I would appreciate being allowed to talk to him again." she finished with another bow.

All she received from Agent Gibbs was a grunt that she really didn't know how to interpret. So, like any girl who practically grew up around not talkative, she took it to mean 'yes' or at least some kind of affirmative.

"McGee will notify me when you get the call. In the meantime, I have a few more questions to ask." he declared after staring at her for a few more minutes.

As she came out of her bow, her gaze locked with his and while maintaining eye contact she smiled and nodded.

"That is acceptable and I thank you again."

Agent Gibbs nodded to her and gestured with his arm to precede him down the hall. With another smile at the other three, she walked in the direction he indicated.

* * *

"I'm telling you, there is something froggy going on here." Ziva said while crossing her arms across her chest. Since she was watching Kagome Higurashi walk toward the interrogation rooms with Gibbs, she missed the looks of confusion from McGee and weariness from DiNozzo.

"Fishy. You mean there is something fishy going on here. Though I have to agree." DiNozzo stated as he too crossed his arms across his chest.

All he received in return was a noncommittal grunt.

"Everything seems fine to me." McGee offered as he walked to sit back at his computer. He still had to find the files on Lokens and more on Miss Higurashi. As he turned to start typing on his keyboard, he made sure to keep one ear tuned into the conversation.

"And that, probie, is why you're still a probie." DiNozzo pointed out smugly.

"And what is that supposed to mean Tony? She seems like a nice girl who was just trying to do the right thing! She doesn't sounds like she's lying!" McGee replied as he stopped typing to give DiNozzo a quick glare. He wasn't a probie anymore! Hell! He had been there longer than Ziva! Well...longer at the agency anyway.

With those thoughts, he turned to see what Ziva was doing and noticed that she was still turned in the direction of the interrogation rooms with a thoughtful look on her face, her body posture completely tense.

"Think about it probie! Why else would Gibbs want to talk to her more unless she's hiding something? No reason, that's why!" DiNozzo gestured as he leaned back in his chair as he propped up his feet on his desk. As he laced his fingers behind his head, his grin became wider, and smugger, though McGee would have thought that would be impossible. He continued.

"Which makes you a probie for not figuring it out!"

As McGee opened his mouth to argue the point, Ziva quickly interrupted.

"Actually McGee, Tony has a point this time. But it only happens once in a blue noon. So do not worry." she smirked.

With that comment, even McGee looked at her in exasperation.

"Do not tell me I messed up an idiom again!" she grimaced as she threw her hands up in the air. She finally turned away from the direction that Gibbs and the Higurashi woman leaned against Tony's desk, waiting for him to go to the interrogation room.

"Yeah. Ya did." DiNozzo said as he leaned further back in his chair while closing his eyes.

"But don't worry, I'm sure you'll learn eventually." he smirked again.

Even he wasn't prepared as his chair fell backwards from being tipped over while Ziva cackled in the background.

* * *

Kagome shifted. _I don't think these chairs were meant to be comfortable for anyone._ She shifted again while grimacing. Her hands were folded in front of her on the table. Agent Gibbs sat across from her with a folder in his hand. His arms were across his chest as he leaned back in his chair, looking at her with a probing stare.

"Ano, is there something the matter, Agent Gibbs?" she asked tentatively, shifting this time from nervousness. His look was so intense that she felt he could see all bad decisions she had ever made. Which were quite a lot. Well. Not necessarily bad. They just...sometimes ended badly! And they were mostly not her fault! She was startled out of her thoughts by Agent Gibbs' response.

"There is something that you aren't telling me. And I want to know what it is." he said tersely.

"I really do not know what you are talking about." she giggled nervously.

"There is nothing funny here!" he suddenly yelled. "There is a dead marine and you are hiding something! Tell me what it is!"

She cringed, completely taken aback. She stared at him with surprise and guilt, but no fear. Her eyes saddened as she clenched her hands into fists. She knew he was only doing his job and trying his hardest to look for the murderer. And she could not help him. How could she tell him that a demon killed his marine? Even if he did believe her (not likely), he probably would not be able to find the demon. Even more than that, if he did find the demon, how could he ever hope to defeat it?!? He was a human with no holy powers to aid him in taking down such a foe!

Only she was capable of the task and she couldn't do that while she was being kept here. The only hope she had was that Sesshomaru would figure out something. With that thought she glanced at the door. _He should be calling soon. All I need to do is stall._

Agent Gibbs misinterpreted her glance.

"You won't be leaving until you answer my questions, Miss Higurashi. And you will answer my questions." he smirked.

She puffed up indignantly. "I'll have you know that I wasn't thinking about leaving! I am expecting my friend to phone back soon."

"My people will notify me when your call comes in. Until then, answer my questions." he said.

She expelled a sigh.

"I need to talk to my friend before I say anything." she replied.

"Are you going to try and make up a story? If so, then you won't be talking to him or her." he said.

"Actually, I do not know the legal system in your country. So I do not know my rights and how much I am required to say. My friend is a lawyer and knows your country's laws, so I do not want to say anything before I discuss things with him." she commented dryly.

He merely raised his eyebrow.

_Why do I feel like I'm in the room with another Sesshomaru?_

* * *

"Ha! See that? Typical Gibbs interrogation technique!" Tony said while taking a sip of his diet soda. He was watching his weight after all.

"Mmhmm." Ziva agreed as she continued to watch the scene in front of her. Her drink was forgotten in her hand as she concentrated on the two occupants in the room beyond.

"However, it does not seem like she is going to croak. Gibbs might need to try a new tactic. I do not know what it is about her, but I feel that something is different." she continued, not taking her eyes off Gibbs and the Higurashi woman.

"Hopefully she won't be croaking since I believe we would be liable. As for cracking, we'll see." Tony grinned as he took another swig of his drink.

Ziva merely took a quick glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes, we shall see."

* * *

McGee sat his desk researching everything about Kagome Higurashi and Zack Lokens. He had given preliminary documents to Gibbs for his interrogation but couldn't seem to find much other than that she missed a lot of school in high school. So he was doing more in-depth research to see if he could uncover anything else. He was also pulling up info about Zack Lokens. So far, the Lieutenant had a pretty clean record. Good service, but nothing that really stuck out. He seemed to be an ordinary marine and citizen when he was alive. The only thing making him stand out so far was his death.

He was an only child who had gone right into the Marine Corps after high school. Recruited from some little town in Pennsylvania. Shipped out multiple times. Nothing really drew his attention. Never went to Japan so he couldn't have met Miss Higurashi there. Had been back from Iraq for about 2 months. Was set to ship out again in another 3. Not married. Not even a record of a girlfriend recently. Had a small flat near Norfolk that he had rented when he got back from his last shipment. No big medical history.

McGee sighed. _Gibbs is not going to be happy._ There was nothing that indicated this man was special or that he had any problems. But he obviously did. Otherwise he would still be alive, or at the very least not dead because of being shot on American soil. No matter how many times he saw it, he still thought it was horrible that these marines fought for their country only to come back and die in their homeland. Especially since they gave their all in the war zone. They should have a place to be at peace, where they didn't have to worry about being shot in broad daylight. He was just a computer geek but even he could understand that something was wrong with that.

Since he was lost in his thoughts, he almost missed the results that suddenly popped up on his screen. Although he was hoping that something on Lt. Lokens had been discovered, he was only slightly disappointed to see it was more information on Miss Higurashi.

It was a news article from a small paper in Tokyo about a shrine girl who had been sick with multiple deadly diseases in the span of 3 years and managed to survive them all. There was a picture to accompany the article, a school photo of Miss Higurashi. The article explained that the girl had everything from tuberculosis to rheumatoid arthritis. His eyebrow rose as he read a list of a few of the diseases she was reported to have. They would definitely explain the reason that she had missed so much school, but he didn't think it was physically possible to survive that many illnesses.

With that thought in mind, he searched the medical databases in the Tokyo area for Kagome Higurashi. All he found were some old files from her childhood from when she had chicken pox and one case of when she had come in a year ago with a bad case of cuts that they reported looked like slashes. She had had these cuts on her back, which were somewhat deep, and down her right thigh. Which didn't sound like illnesses. So he widened his search to all of Japan. While waiting for that search to get back, since it would probably take a bit longer, he searched for the shrine she had lived at for most of her life.

There wasn't a website for 'Sunset Shrine' since it was one of the smaller Shinto shrines in Tokyo but on some tourist websites there were pictures and short descriptions. One in particular caught his attention.

_"Sunset shrine is one of the more small shrines in Tokyo, but it's size in no way compares to its history. The history of the shrine is long and fascinating, but the most interesting feature is the so-called "God-Tree" that stands in the middle. This tree has been standing for around a thousand years, surviving a world war and many battles of the old days. There is even a legend about a half-demon named ?????? who was trapped to the tree by his love. This shrine is also the supposed birthplace of the infamous Jewel of Four Souls which came about after a priestess expelled her and her opponent's trapped souls from their bodies after fighting for three days. As you can tell, this shrine has a rich history that is rife with many legends and myths, a fabulous place to experience the old culture of Japan!"_

McGee was somewhat intrigued by the description of the shrine though slightly frustrated that there wasn't more information. And why wouldn't the name of the one stuck to the tree translate? He had the best translation software available to prevent things like that from happening! Ugh. Oh well. It probably wasn't important anyway. But that jewel thing sounded interesting too. It kinda made him want to go to Japan to experience it for real, so the website did its job. But still. Not a lot of hard information which was what he needed. Just as he was about to conduct another search for the shrine, he noticed that his scan of the medical records was complete.

When he clicked over to see the results he was mildly surprised to see that other than the files he had already looked at, there were no records of any Kagome Higurashi checking into any hospital or doctor's office in the whole of Japan for ANY kind of illness, let alone the ones she was supposed to have had. And most would have required extensive hospital care and many medications. There was no way that she could have been sick like that without there being any record. So that meant that she had lied about being sick. But why?

He needed to tell Gibbs. It might not be important, but it was still an inconsistency and if there was anything that Gibbs wanted to know about, it was inconsistencies. Inconsistencies meant secrets. And secrets typically yielded more secrets. Which could lead them to the answer they were seeking. He didn't know if Miss Higurashi being 'sick' had anything to do with the lieutenant, but he wasn't going to take that chance.

As he stood to walk to the interrogation room, Gibbs' phone rang. He hestitated. Was he supposed to answer? He knew that Miss Higurashi had said that someone was going to be calling back, but it WAS Gibbs' phone. He was NOT looking forward to the head-slap that would result if he made a mistake. As the phone continued to ring, McGee straightened his shoulders, made a decision and took a step.

* * *

Kagome had started tapping her fingers to her own internal rhythm when it was apparent that Agent Gibbs was not going to talk. She was a talkative creature by nature and had a tendency to babble when she was nervous, like now. However, she was afraid that if she started babbling, she would say something that she would regret later. So she tapped her fingers. It gave her something to do with all the excess energy that allowed her to not start babbling like crazy.

Even so, her energy was slowly building up and if something didn't change soon she was probably going to start talking anyway. Though knowing her nature, it might be in Japanese. Then she would look like an even bigger idiot. That thought amused her for a moment, but even that couldn't distract her for very long. She was boiling over with energy and as she opened her mouth to ask Agent Gibbs if he _really_ had any questions or just wanted to stare at her all day when the door opened.

Her head snapped around and her brows snapped down as Agent McGee walked in muttering to himself. He hardly paid her any attention as he walked straight to Agent Gibbs and leaned over to whisper in his ear. She frowned at him as Agent Gibbs first raised one eyebrow then the other as Agent McGee continued to speak. When McGee was done he turned away to walk out of the room without ever once making eye contact with her, closing the door softly behind him.

As the door closed, she turned to look at Agent Gibbs, raising an eyebrow of her own at his expression. It was a mix of amusement and suspicion. What an odd combination. Sighing with exasperation as his continued reluctance to talk, she rested her chin in her hand as she set her elbow on the table and blew her bangs out of her face.

"Well, Agent Gibbs? Did my friend call?" she said while rolling her eyes.

"Yes, he did." was all he said as he continued to stare at her with both eyebrows lifted.

She waited a second to see if he was going to continue before asking expectantly, "Well, what did he say?"

His eyebrows finally lowered as he rubbed his chin contemplatively. "Agent McGee said your friend asked for you and when he was told that you were being questioned, ordered McGee to relay the message that a friend will be picking you up as soon as you are done here. Then he hung up."

Her chin slipped out of her hand as it hit her forehead.

"Still so arrogant." she muttered. "I would apologize and try to make excuses except that he is always like that and treats everyone the same, so Agent McGee should not feel offended."

As she finished, she smiled a slightly sarcastic smile even as she rested her head back in her hand.

"So does that mean I can go?" she asked hopefully.

Agent Gibbs merely gave her a look that said she was being silly so she settled back into her chair ready for another silent half hour. A few minutes later as she was testing how far she could lean back in her chair while still maintaining her balance, Agent Gibbs asked her question.

"Why did you lie about having illnesses in high school?" he asked in a matter-of-fact manner.

The only answer he received was the chair banging against the ground as Kagome lost her balance. For a second, all that she did was lay there with her arms stretched out to either side of her, staring at the ceiling. Then she started to laugh. Not a giggle, but a full-on belly laugh. She couldn't even stop long enough to lift herself up. Tears were running down her cheeks before she managed to establish some control over her laughter. She hadn't moved since she fell.

As she wiped her tears away, she noticed that Agent Gibbs had come around the table and was squatting down next to her with that damn eyebrow raised again. He reminded her so much of Sesshomaru right then that her laughing fit started again and this time she curled on her side holding her stomach. She just couldn't stop even though it was starting to hurt! It was such a random question that she was totally unprepared for it. She hadn't even thought of the excuses her grandfather had used from her excessive absences in so long!

But man, had NCIS done a good job! There were no records of doctor visits so how did they find out about her 'illnesses'? Even the school hadn't registered anything, merely marking her as absent after a certain amount of time. Well at least they were thorough.

After a good 5 minutes of laughing quite loudly, she managed to get it down to gasping breaths. When she finally managed to get complete control of herself, she sat up before climbing to her feet and righting her chair. Agent Gibbs had already reclaimed his chair across the table from her. As she ran her hands through her hair to make sure it was in place, she cleared her throat.

"I apologize for that. It was completely unexpected and it caught me off guard." she said with mirth still coloring her voice. Her sunny smile was back and even her eyes twinkled in amusement.

"I don't understand what was so funny concerning my question." Agent Gibbs said, his eyes completely serious.

At his statement, some mirth leaked from her eyes though her smile didn't lose one watt of brightness.

"Ano, I just had not thought of that in a while and was wondering what that could have to do with the investigation." she stated.

"It tells me that you lie. Which means you could lie in other areas, like with my dead marine. I want to know what really happened that caused you to miss so much school. Now." he said coolly, his eyes remaining steady on hers.

Her smile slowly slipped from her face as her face became serious at his demand. Her own face became haughty as she replied. "Agent Gibbs, I have cooperated as much as I am able with this investigation and do not appreciate being treated as a suspect when all I wanted to do was help. Some things in my life are personal and have nothing to do with this investigation and so I will not share them. If you wish to pursue these issues further, I feel I must have a lawyer present before we continue this discussion. Until then, you may ask questions that are relevant only to the case."

Her voice continued to get colder with every word until the folks behind the glass were surprised that there wasn't frost on the mirror in front of them.

"Damn that was cold! And apparently she knows something about our legal system to demand a lawyer. Still, it's weird that she refuses to answer about something like that. Maybe she was doing something illegal?" Tony commented as he waggled his eyebrows with a leer at the woman on the other side of the glass.

"It is suspicious. It makes it seem as if she WAS doing something she was not supposed to when she refuses to answer like that." Ziva said.

McGee still had a scowl on his face as he looked through the glass with his arms crossed.

"There is something wrong with this entire situation. I couldn't find a lot of information on her. Like at all! And there were no hospital records except for when she was a child and for a year ago when she came in with deep cuts on her back and thighs. They had to be sewn together with stitches. They were very severe and she wouldn't tell where she got them. Everything this woman does is extremely suspicious." he muttered angrily.

Ziva and Tony exchanged glances that showed their surprise.

"Probie, what has your panties in a twist? You were the one that was gunning for her innocence earlier! What changed?" Tony questioned with a smirk.

McGee shot him an angry glare as his scowl deepened. "That was before I did research on her and saw all the holes in her history. And then her friend called." he said shortly.

"McGee, I do not think I have seen you this angry before. What did her friend say?" Ziva inquired with curiosity apparent in her eyes.

McGee started muttering with contempt before he answered them.

"First he demanded to know where Miss Higurashi was. When I told him that she was in interrogation, he _ordered_ me to get her. All the time speaking with a very arrogant tone. When I told him that I couldn't, he asked me if I was always so incompetent. Then he proceeded to ask me if I was intelligent enough to communicate a message to her. The nerve! I mean seriously!" he barked out as he clenched his hands at his sides.

Tony looked at him for a few moments before bursting out with laughter while both McGee and Ziva looked at him with frowns on their faces.

"That's rich! That's just like in 12 Angry Men when--" he cut off with a frown of his own. He glanced quickly at Ziva who had a smug look on her face with her hand stretched out. He grumbled as he pulled out his wallet, ruffling through it before coming out with $5. McGee watched in confusion as money changed hands with Ziva stuffing the cash into her back pocket.

"What's going on? Why does Tony have to hand over money?" McGee asked as Tony continued to scowl while putting his wallet back into his pocket.

Tony whipped his head around and with a glare and snapped out "Quiet probie!" before turning back to the action happening in the interrogation room.

Ziva merely leaned back and told McGee, "I bet Tony that he is incapable of not making movie references for a week. Every time he does, he has to give me five dollars." she said, full of smug satisfaction.

McGee nodded. "I had wondered why he wasn't spouting off about some movie that we've never seen before."

With that comment Tony hit McGee up the back of his head.

"Watch the proceedings probie. You might learn something."

* * *

Their previous conversation had devolved into a staring contest, neither willing to yield. Kagome was leaned back in her chair with both her arms and legs crossed, never breaking eye contact with Agent Gibbs. He had assumed a similar position across the table and wasn't blinking. _If I blink I lose. I can't lose to a wannabe Sesshomaru! We shall be victorious!_

With that thought, Kagome widened her eyes to try to prevent the need to blink and stave off the eye-watering sensation that told her she needed to blink.

After a few minutes, she was getting desperate. _I HAVE to blink. It buuuuuuuuuuuuuurns!!!!!!!_

Just as she was about to blink, and end the one-sided staring contest, there was a knock on the door of the room. Both occupants turned slowly to look at the door, one with displeasure, the other with a pleading expression.

A nervous looking mana stuck his head into the room, zeroing in on Agent Gibbs. If anything, his look became more nervous.

"Uh. Agent Gi-Gibbs, there is a p-p-person here to pick up Miss Higurashi." he stuttered.

Agent Gibbs answered with a scowl and a slow nod. Kagome gave a wide smile. _T__his must be the person that Sesshomaru was talking about._ Now she could get out of here. Well. If Agent Gibbs let her.

She turned to look at him.

"If you have no other questions pertaining to the investigation, may I leave?" she asked coolly.

He stared at her for a few more minutes before nodding again, standing up from his chair. She followed his example and stood up, pushing the chair back in after she had stepped away from it. She turned to leave the room and noticed that Agent Gibbs had yet to leave and was even holding the door open for her. She attempted to be graceful as she walked by him, nodding her appreciation for him opening the door for her.

She could hear him close the door, as she walked down the hall. Just before she got to the end, a door opened in front of her, letting out Agents David, DiNozzo and McGee from another room. She got a quick glance at some equipment before the door closed behind them. She nodded at them as well as she continued down the hall. As she turned the corner, she could hear them start to discuss something behind her, but she was completely focused on getting out of there, so she wasn't paying much attention.

When she finally got back to their desks, she approached Agent Gibbs' to get her purse. As she pulled the straps over her shoulder, she heard a yell.

"KAGOME!!!"

She turned around with a smile and a 'hello' on the tip of her tongue when she got a good look at who had called her name.

"Shippo?" she whispered. Raising her hand to her forhead.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Hope you review!


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